Henry e



(No Model.)

H. E. PRID'MORE.

MOWING MACHINE.

No. 488,905. Patented Dec. 27, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY E. PRIDMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCORMICK HARVESTING MACHINE COMPANY.

MOWlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,905, dated December 27, 1892. Application filed March 19, 1891- Serial No. 385,714 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. PRIDMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MowingMaohines, of which the following is a specification.

The usual manner of lifting the coupling frame and cutter bar of a mowing machine to pass over obstructions and for turning at the corners, has been a lifting lever within convenient reach of the hand of the driver. The weight of the coupling frame and finger bar is considerable, and it has been common to assist the driver in lifting them by attaching a strong coil spring to the frame of the machine and to the lifting lever in such a manner that it would act to help raise the coupling frame and bar. It is, however, very difficult for the driver, when the ground is rough, to reach for the lifting lever, thus unbalancin g himself in the seat, and moreover at the corners both hands are usually necessary upon the lines in order to get the team into proper position for the beginning of a new swath. In order to raise the coupling frame and bar without the use of the hands, I have attached to the lifting lever a rearwardly extending bar or lever, convenient for the foot of the driver, so that the coupling frame and cutter bar can be lifted by the foot. It is in the attachment of this foot lever and the connec tion of the spring to it, so as to assist in raising the coupling frame and finger-bar and also to keep the foot lever taut when it has reached the limit of its movement, that my invention consists.

In the accompanying drawings,like letters refer to like parts, and in them and in their description my invention will be more fully pointed out.

Figure 1 is a side View of a mowing machine, with one wheel broken away in order to better show the devices. Fig.2 is a rear view of the foot lever and part of the lifting lever, together with their connection to the gag lever on the coupling-frame. Fig. 3 isan enlarged detail side View of the lifting lever, showing the attachment of the foot lever to it, from the opposite side of the machine to Fig. 1; while Fig. i is a detail showing the lifting lever triangle, and the attachment of the foot lever to it.

The wheels A, the frame B, seat C, coupling-frame D, finger-bar E, and pole F, are the ordinary parts of a mowingmachine, and may be of any of the many well known constructions. Upon the frame B, or pole F, of the machine as is most convenient, I hinge a lifting lever G, and connected by chain or link with the coupling frame. To the lever G I pivot the foot leverH, and extend it backwardly, suitably curving it, so that it will have room for movement, and be convenient for the foot of the driver. I also attach a lug G to the lifting lever G, against which an extension H, on the foot-lever H, strikes, or if the extension H, of the foot-lever is increased it could strike against the hub of the lever or any suitable stop, the object being to make astiff connection in one direction, so that when the foot of the driver is placed on the foot-lever, the power will tend to raise the couplingframe and finger-bar. From the hook H, on the foot-lever, I extend a spring, I, along the tongue and attach it thereto. When the coupling-frame and cutter-barare upon the ground, the spring I, acting upon the foot lever near the pivot g, tends to float the finger bar and coupling frame but slightly merely keeping o the parts taut and in convenient position for the operator. As the foot lever, however,begins its movement, the leverage of the spring becomes greater, and even though the force of the spring grows less, its lifting action is increased.

In order that the coupling frame and cutter bar be easily lifted, it is necessary, because of their great weight, that advantage be taken in the lever G, by making the hand 0 portion of much greater length than the power portion, which thus causes the operator to go to an extreme of movement in order to reach the lever, and then to lift the coupling bar and frame to the requisite height. This ex- 9 5 treme of movement cannot be made by the foot, nor, in fact, is it very desirable that it should be, as on rough and boggy ground, where it is necessary that the driver keep himself well balanced in the seat, it is only necroo 'essary to carry the bar to the height of the bog and at the corners when turning, only necessary to lift it free from the ground. The pivoting of the foot lift to the lifting lever G, allows the operator to raise the bar by the foot lift to a reasonable height, at which time, if desired, the lifting leveris easily within reaching distance, and the bar and coupling frame can be raised by it to the full limit of their movement. The foot lever in this instance will strike upon the frame of the machine, which forms a stop to its further movement. The spring I will then keep the lever H, tight enough to prevent rattling on the frame and still exert much force, owing to the increased leverage it has obtained on the arm 7 meet given by the foot.

G to lift the coupling frame and finger bar to their greatest height.

The lifting lever G, is fitted with a springpressed pawl 9 which rests upon a toothed segment J, connected with the main frame of the machine. The reach of this segment which corresponds with the movement that can be given the lever by the foot-lift, is without notches, it being desirable that the pawl should not catch during any part of the move- Did it catch, it would be necessary to unlock it by the hand. In the lower portions of its reach, or the part which corresponds with the final movement, given by the hand lever, there are notches into which the pawl drops and thus locks the bar in any desired position. The convenient sweep of the foot leverbeing so much less than that of the hand lever, it is therefore necessary to its greater success that it should lift the couplin'g frame and finger bar at the same time, and not one beforethe other. The lifting device is therefore connected with one arm of a gag lever K, which is pivoted on the coupling frame D, the other end of which rests on a projecting arm L, on the finger bar. By this construction the coupling frame and finger bar can be lifted a short distance from the ground by the foot and carried over boggy places or stony ground.

I am aware that foot levers are old, and I do not therefore claim such broadly.

What I do claim, however, is V 1. In combination with a lever pivoted on the frame of the machine, one arm of which is connected with the coupling-frame, a footlever pivoted on the other arm, a lug or stop a spring connecting the foot-lever with the machine and reacting between them, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 7 7

2. In combination with a hand-lever on a mowing machine, one arm of which is connected with a gag-lever on the cou pling-frame to simultaneously raise both the coupling frame and finger bar, a foot-lever so pivoted to the hand-lever as to be rigid in the direction in which the pressure of the foot is applied, a spring reacting between the frame of the machine and the lifting device through the foot lever, substantially as and for the purpose specified. H W

3. In combination with a'lev'er pivoted on the frame of the machine, one arm of which is connected with a gag-lever on the coupling-frame, a foot-lever so pivoted on the hand lever as to be rigid on it in the direction in which the pressure of the foot is applied, a spring reacting between the foot-lever and the tongue, and so attached that the spring is counterbalanced when the coupling frame is down and gains leverage as it raises, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine, one arm of which is connected with'the coupling-frame,a footlever pivoted 0n the other arm and having a stop on the handlever which limits its movement in one direction, a spring reacting between the foot lever and frame, and a secondary stop on the frame of the machine that limits the sweep of the foot-lever, when the coupling frame is being raised substantially as and for the purpose specified. 5. In combination with a hand-lever pivoted on the frame of the machine, one arm of which is connected with the coupling-frame, a foot-lever attached to the other arm, a pawl on the hand-lever, and a segment rack on the frame without notches for the ,pawl for the sweep of the lever that follows the movement of the foot-lever, and with notches for that portion of the sweep which. follows the remaining movement of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

HENRY E. PRIDMORE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM R. BAKER,

EDwD. P. MARTIN.

on the lever against which the foot-lever acts, 

